Amazon Raises Overtime Pay for Warehouse Workers in the US Due to Coronavirus

Amazon Raises Overtime Pay for Warehouse Workers in the US. Amazon.com said on Saturday, it is raising the overtime pay for employees working in its US warehouses as the world’s largest online retailer attempts to meet the increasingly growing demand for online shopping from consumers stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. CEO Jeff Bezos said on Saturday, “My own time and attention fully focused on COVID-19 and how Amazon can best play its part,” according to a statement posted on a company website.

Amazon’s U.S. warehouses employees paid twice after 40 hours to receive overtime, up from the 1.5-time rate, from 15 March to 9 May, the statement said.

Amazon increased the minimum hourly rate for associates to $17 from $15 and announced plans to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the United States since the virus epidemic boosts online orders.

As the virus spreads across The US, Amazon has offered unlimited unpaid time off to encourage employees to stay home when they don’t feel well. It’s staggered workers shifts and prohibited employees from sitting next to each other in the lunchroom to limit contact.

In response to Bezos said in Saturday’s online post that Amazon has arranged “millions” of face masks for its onsite personnel, but few are stuffed since the masks are in low supply and therefore are first going to hospitals at governments’ directions.

“When our turn for masks stems, our priority will be getting them at the hands of our employees and partners working to get essential products to people,” he said.

Amazon on Thursday reported its first warehouse worker in the USA tested positive for the virus, forcing the company to temporarily shutter the center in New York.

As the virus spreads Across the United States, several clothes retailers and department-store chains have shut stores, and cafe and restaurant operators have closed down or limited services to shipping and take-away.

Online retailers and Grocery shops are attempting to capture rising demand as more Americans ordered to stay at home to decrease the spread of this outbreak.

Rival retailer Walmart said on Thursday it plans to hire 150,000 hourly associates in the US and declared $550 million in cash bonuses to reward workers.

The highly contagious Coronavirus has infected more than 274,800 people around the world and led to Over 11,300 deaths worldwide, forcing governments throughout the world to issue Mass lockdowns of individuals in an attempt to slow the spread of this virus. Use3rs can check here for the latest stock marketing updates here.